The Muggle Element
by UniquelyMi
Summary: A struggling chemist in a time when women were not accepted in science, Anita Salazar's world changed forever when Death Eaters looking for entertainment chose her boarding house. By the time the Order arrived, she was the only one still alive. Desperate, alone, and unwilling to give up her memory, Anita left the Muggle world for one on the brink of war.


**Disclaimer:** No, I don't own the original Harry Potter books. While I'm at it, I don't lay any claim to Fanfiction either. Not even the boatload of Muggle-enters-wizarding-world (and far too often manages to use a wand, discovers magical roots, etc. as well) fics out there that partially inspired/annoyed me into writing this. My second plotted fic, so criticize harshly.

**Unexpected Visitors**

The burglar alarm in the boardinghouse hadn't sounded, but Anita Salazar didn't trust them anyways. What she did trust was her instincts, ears, and the tripwire stretched across the entrance hall at night.

She had woken up suddenly with the sense that somebody was there and couldn't go back to sleep. This happened now and then and was generally not cause for concern. It was probably proof that she'd watched too many movies. But then she heard a creak from the door, a soft crash and muffled curse, and she sat up in bed, every muscle tensed. Quietly she changed into comfortable pants and a t-shirt, reaching for something she could defend herself with. A pillow and lamp in hand, Anita crept out of her room and down the silent hallway, then decided not to go down the stairs.

A light clicked on downstairs, and then a loud scream was heard. Doors flung open all around the house and people came out, some still half-dressed, holding baseball bats, violin stands, even a bunch of pencils. One man carried a gun. Feeling safer in the midst of so many people but still terrified, Anita followed the other boarders downstairs to investigate.

What they found, as they flicked on the lights, were three or four masked men standing over a fallen woman in the kitchen carrying lighted sticks. A few inches from her outstretched hand was a knife. She appeared to have died in agony.

The men spun as they noticed the mass of people. They said something in a different language and colored lights shot out of their sticks. The people who were hit fell, piercing the air with their screams. Anita froze in horror, wondering how this was possible.

The men let out hoarse laughter and then prepared to take another shot. Suddenly, out of the kitchen, a woman in her 50s came running. Anita recognized her as another boarder, a teacher whose children had all died. She ran head on into the men, slashing at them with the knife. The men jumped back and their mouth moved again, but she ducked under the light and snapped out a kick.

"The lights can hurt you!" she screamed. "Just avoid them or block them and you'll be fine!"

The man with the gun shook Anita out of her stupor and she stepped to the side to regain her balance, getting in a better stance. A light flew right over her shoulder and slammed into a chair. Anita forced herself to forget the fact that she had nearly died.

With a start, the other dozen or so people in the room rushed towards the men or out of the room. Those who ran were generally shot down. Anita viciously thrust her lamp towards one of the man. It shattered on impact, showering glass over him. Then she pulled the pillow in front of her as a green light headed towards her. The pillow stopped the light, amazingly, but tore a hole through the pillow. Anita saw a knife fallen on the floor and picked it up, a orangish light grazing her and making her cover a yelp of pain. She stabbed at a man with more strength than she'd thought she had, running him through.

A thrill went through her as she stared at her handiwork in horror. Then she was dodging another light beam and ducking behind a sofa. Suddenly the last kitchen light went out and they were in darkness.

A series of gunshots brought another man down. Most of the people in the room were dead by now. Anita shakily crept behind the masked men, and stabbed. She missed as he moved, and suddenly found herself at stick-point, as she not-so-humorously termed it. Slowly she let go of the weapon, watching as the man deliberately moved the stick to point at different body parts, and then kicked the man as hard as she could. With a yell he jumped back from her, letting go of the stick. Someone else stomped deliberately on it before a green light ended his life.

The remaining man ran upstairs, screams and green light marking his approach. Anita's legs wobbled and then collapsed. She lay among the other bodies, too tired to get up. If and when the man came back, she would be dead.

And then the door burst open. Red lights tore through the room. Anita saw a few dark figures come in before her vision went black.

* * *

"This one has a heartbeat," Anita heard a man announce. A sting on her cheek brought her completely back into the land of the living.

She opened her eyes and pushed herself up. To her horror she saw glowing lights illuminating sticks. A surge of energy shot through her and she grabbed a knife, slashing at the man.

"I'm safe, I'm safe!" he said hurriedly, holding up his hands and dropping the stick.

Anita picked it up and aimed the beam of light at the man's face. He wasn't wearing a mask.

"Who -" It came out as a scratchy, garbled noise. Anita coughed, clearing it. "Who are you, then?" she demanded, her voice still harsh and talking painful, as she moved the stick to illuminate several other people standing in the background. "_What_ are you?" She tried, somewhat experimentally, to smile at them. Her face wouldn't move. _What was a smile?_ Her muscles seemed to be asking. _What was happiness?_

"My name is Remus Lupin," the man said gently, though a strange look crossed his face. "I'm a wizard."

Part of Anita wanted to deny it, but the other part of her brain was already accepting it - had already accepted it. "And them?" she questioned.

"Also wizards," he said, a dark look crossing his face. "Now, what did you see?'

Anita wasn't quite willing to believe that they were safe, but instead of helping her challenge them, her muscles collapsed again. The lighted stick fell out of her hand but it didn't matter, as the sky was already lightening. Lupin gently pulled her up and set her on a sofa.

"Water," Anita coughed. "In the kitchen, the cups are in the cabinet next to the stove." They wouldn't poison it if they needed her to answer their questions, surely.

"I'll get it," a feminine voice said. A woman with pink hair walked into the kitchen.

There was the sound of water rushing out of the tap, and then the woman emerged, handing the cup to Anita.

"Drink," she said.

Anita took it shakily and took a drink, sighing as the cool water rushed down her throat. Half-giddily, she took another drink, not caring about the way it splashed onto her clothes. When she was finished, she set the cup down next to her and sank into the torn up sofa.

"Now, what did you see?" asked Lupin.

She didn't quite want to talk, or even laugh, or do anything, really, but these people had been nice - so far. She was too tired to deal with it if that changed.

"I woke up in the middle of the night feeling like something was wrong. Then I heard a crash and a scream. We - the other boarders and I - went down to see four masked men carrying glowing sticks…" Anita began as she recounted what she had seen.

Flashes of the night before came vividly as she talked, the crashes, the screams, the lights, and the grinning masked men. The teacher who'd barreled in, saving all their lives. The man with the gun who'd shook her in time to save her life. The multiple times she'd nearly died. And as she talked, feeling a strange sort of relief, a terrifying realization sunk in. She was alone. She had no job, no friends, and now, no home.

Grief washed over her, for the people who'd died - _Martha, who'd always been able to joke at night, lying with a bloody, mangled face. John, who nobody believed could cook until he made dinner and blew them away, his cold body somewhere there. David and Sophie, who could always be heard singing, even during the most inappropriate of times, currently lying on top of each other. Leon, who laughed so much it annoyed people, a scream still on his face. And so many others who deserved to live. Her only friends._

She remembered crashing down onto bodies, too tired to do anything else. Now she wondered who she'd lain on. The thought made her grimace, a bit. She was so tired, so sad.

"And then I saw a lot of red light, and fell unconscious."

As Anita finished, the other people looked grim.

"Thank you for your help, Miss…?" said the man.

"Salazar, Anita Salazar," Anita answered.

There was a moment of shock. "Salazar?" whispered the third occupant in the room.

The pink-haired woman rolled her eyes. "Oh, for Merlin's sake, it's a common enough Muggle surname. I'm Tonks, just Tonks."

"Nymphadora Tonks, who prefers to be known by her surname only," explained Lupin.

Tonks hit Lupin. "She didn't need to know!"

A strange sound gurgled out of Anita's throat. A moment later, she realized it was a laugh. Tonks winked at her.

"Well, Miss…Salazar," said the third wizard in a tone that said he was sobering the mood. "I'm afraid we have a policy for dealing with Muggles - nonmagicals."

Anita's heart sank as she heard the words. "Are you going to kill me?" Strangely, the idea didn't seem so bad.

"No!" said Lupin, shocked. "Just wipe your memory of us."

"WHAT?" Anita shouted. "You can't!"

"It's Ministry policy, according to the Statue of Secrecy," said the third wizard unhelpfully.

Anita looked at Lupin and Tonks for help, but they refused to meet her eyes. "No," Anita repeated.

"It's okay, Miss Salazar," said Lupin quietly. "They won't take away much. You'll remember miraculously surviving because you hid away."

"And live in guilt the rest of my life?" Anita said derisively. "I'd probably end up committing suicide anyways. Not that you'd care." It was in their eyes - they'd done this to so many people that they no longer cared. A flare of resolve lent her strength. She _wouldn't_ let her memories taken away. Quickly she lunged, picking up the lighted stick she had dropped, and then pointed it at them.

"You can't use it, Miss," sighed the third wizard. "Drop it."

"But I can break it," Anita pointed out. "And enough force should be able to damage you. So I think I'll keep hold of it, thank you very much."

Tonks chuckled at her response while the wizard who had spoken looked like he had sucked a lemon.

"Let her be, Jerry," sighed Lupin. "That's Jerry Cromwell, by the way."

"Who wants to wipe my memory," Anita said.

Cromwell sighed, looking a bit uneasy. "It's the law, Miss Salazar."

"And what if they come again?" Anita demanded. "Can you guarantee that I'll be safe from them? That my memories wouldn't save me at all? I've been pretty good, believing you and not trying to get every detail, and you won't even leave me this much?"

All three of them looked decidedly uneasy now.

"Why is there even this 'Statue of Secrets' thing anyways?" Anita asked.

"Well…if our existence got out, you can imagine that life would become very dangerous," Lupin answered after exchanging glances with the other two.

Anita laughed, the sound tinged with grief. "Who would I tell? My parents who died 8 years ago? Who would believe me?"

"I suppose…" Lupin said.

"You'd still be a danger," Cromwell pointed out.

"Why can't you take me out of this world then?" Anita demanded wildly. "I'd be no danger to you then. You can hide me out in whatever place you people have."

The three people blinked. "Do you know what you are suggesting?" Lupin finally asked.

"I can help," Anita said, a new idea forming. "I don't have anything to keep me here anyways. I lost my job a week ago, and all my friends died." She gestured at the bodies that they had yet to move. "Besides, there's no way I could stay here after…" _The lights. The screams. The dead._

"You'd only be in more danger," Tonks said firmly, her hair changing color to gray for some reason.

Anita's eyes widened. "Your hair changed color!"

Tonks looked at a gray strand, screwed up her face, and then it turned pink again. "Yes, about your suggestion," she said to divert attention.

"How do you think you could help?" Lupin asked curiously.

"I could…I don't know, cook! Help whoever's injured. Mix explosions. And I _can_ defend myself, thank you very much!" She wasn't quite sure when she'd decided to trust them, but what could she do anyways? Whatever anyone said, these people had been obviously against the people who'd tried to kill her. Even if they had a very shaky moral compass.

"You'd be a liability, Miss Salazar," Lupin said firmly.

"I'm not so sure about that," Tonks said thoughtfully. "She could be trained to dodge, and she's right about being able to protect herself. I'm sure we could find something for her to do."

Cromwell shot Tonks a you're-not-helping glare.

"Why don't we take her to Headquarters?" Lupin said firmly. "We can decide what to do there."

The other two shrugged and they moved out, but not before removing all traces that wizards were here that might baffle the police.

* * *

"I do not like Apparation," Anita grumbled. "Not one bit."

Remus and Tonks laughed; Cromwell had left to go to his home already.

"Well, here we are," Tonks said. "Welcome to the Burrow, the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix for the time being."

Anita eyed the rather shabby looking building with trepidation. "This?"

"It's also home to one of the more eccentric wizarding families," Remus warned, knocking on the door.

A plump, matronly redheaded woman that made Anita feel instantly at ease opened the door. "Remus! Tonks! How wonderful to see you. And who's this?"

"Anita Salazar," Anita introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you," the woman said kindly. "I'm Molly Weasley. Do come in."

As the door closed behind them, Anita looked around the bright kitchen. "It's bigger than I thought it would be," Anita marveled.

"Extendable charms," Lupin explained. To Mrs. Weasley he asked, "Can she stay here until the next Order meeting?"

Mrs. Weasley blinked. "We don't have much room, but she's welcome. Why?"

Anita spoke up again. "I'm a Muggle, as you term it."

Mrs. Weasley looked at Lupin and Tonks in shock. "A Muggle?"

"There was a series of Death Eater attacks in Muggle London," Lupin said. "One of them was at a boardinghouse. Miss Salazar here was the only survivor."

"She and the other boarders took down four Death Eaters," Tonks piped up. "Anyways, she argued quite convincingly against getting her memory modified, so we decided to bring her here for now."

Mrs. Weasley eyed Anita with new respect. "Yes, it's fine. But Harry arrived yesterday, and Hermione the day before yesterday, and Fleur's here as well, so it may be a bit cramped."

Anita couldn't help but wonder how anyone with extendable charms could live in a cramped home.

"On the other hand," Mrs. Weasley continued, "the twins are living in Diagon Alley over their shop, which cleared out some space."

"So, who's here?" Anita asked, completely confused. From her tone, it seemed this Harry, Hermione, and Fleur weren't part of the family or Order or whatever they were talking about.

"Me, Arthur, Bill, Fleur, Ron, Harry, and Hermione," Mrs. Weasley counted off her fingers. "You can have the room below the staircase. It's a bit neat and isn't much, but it'll do."

"I won't be a bother, will I, Mrs. Weasley?" Anita asked anxiously. "I can help you cook, and things -"

"Oh, it's nothing, dear. And you must call me Molly."

"Then I'm Anita."

"Well, we'll leave," said Lupin. With a last look at Tonks he left the Burrow.

Anita leaned over at Tonks. "I think he likes you."

Molly laughed. "You're late. Tonks wore him down this morning, assisted by the twins."

"Twins?" Anita asked.

"Fred and George Weasley, the worst pranksters you will ever have the misfortune to meet," Tonks replied.

"Well, come see your room," Molly invited.

Anita obliged, and Remus and Tonks disappeared. Though she didn't know it yet, her new life as the sole Muggle Order member was about to begin.

**So, what do you think? Should I continue it?**


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